The Lady and the Thief
by Cyberchao X
Summary: Ingrid resented her father's attempts to use her as a pawn to restore the glory of their house. If she were to marry, it would be for love, not prestige. At Garreg Mach Monastery, she'd find what she was looking for.
1. New Beginnings

The Lady and the Thief  
by Cyberchao X

Chapter 1: New Beginnings

"Ah, Ingrid. You're looking as lovely as ever."

"Can it, Sylvain." Ingrid Brandl Galatea had no patience for her childhood friend's flirtations. "I'm sure there are plenty of girls here who _don't_ know you well enough not to fall for your flattery, and besides, you know all too well why we couldn't be together even if we wanted to." Sylvain sighed in agreement. It was true, part of the reason he'd befriended Ingrid long before they'd arrived here at Garreg Mach was that she was a kindred soul—born with a Crest, and thus, hailed as the savior of House Galatea. Her father wanted to marry her off to a noble that would increase House Galatea's prestige…but as a Crest-bearer himself, Sylvain had his own house to eventually run. Were he to marry Ingrid, her house would likely be absorbed into Gautier. He set off in search of an easier mark.

Ingrid sized up her new classmates. In addition to Sylvain, she had another childhood friend in Felix Hugo Fraldarius. There was, of course, Crown Prince Dimitri, whom she hoped to make a good impression on as despite her duties as a Crest-bearer, what she really wanted was to be a knight, along with his retainer, Dedue. Curious, that the Prince would take on a Duscuri as a retainer, given what they did to the royal family. Unless he believed they were unfairly blamed? That was possible. It was none of her business.

The heir to the Barony of Dominic was here, too, excitedly talking with a…commoner? They appeared to have known each other already, just as she had with Felix and Sylvain. Maybe the taller girl was a noble after all. She certainly looked like a noble. When everyone had been introduced, she used the surname "Martriz", which Ingrid vaguely knew to be a fallen house. Perhaps that was it, this "Mercedes" girl was born into nobility but held no title now. Typical noble squabbles. This whole system was broken. In that respect, she was somewhat glad that the heirs of the Emperor of Adrestia and the Duchy of Riegan were here at the same time, leading the other two houses. Both of them seemed to have some disdain for the system as well, and perhaps the three house leaders could be the ones to unite Fódlan. She wasn't quite sure what to make of Claude, but Edelgard seemed to be of similar mind to Prince Dimitri. She'd heard they were actually stepsiblings. That sounded like it could be a good thing. Which left only one member of her house unaccounted for…

* * *

Dimitri was confused. No less than the Archbishop's right hand, Seteth, had told him to keep a close eye on a member of his class. Ashe Ubert. Seteth had said that Ashe came from a house that might hold a grudge against the church, but Dimitri had never heard of any "House Ubert" and besides the boy didn't appear to be of the nobility, though he did seem to have a strong sense of justice befitting a knight. He resolved to find out what the issue was.

Ashe sprung to attention and bowed as soon as he saw Dimitri approach. "At ease. Right now, I want you to think of me merely as your house leader, not as the Crown Prince."

"O-okay. What can I do for you, sir?"

"As a leader, it's important for me to get to know everyone that I am leading. Er, in the general sense, I suppose. It'd be hard for me to get to know every one of my subjects personally once I am king. But at any rate, what brings you to the Officer's Academy? No offense, but you don't appear to be, er…from a family that would be able to afford such a thing."

"I'm not, originally. My parents ran a restaurant out in the country. But then they died of illness, and as the oldest child, it was up to me to provide for myself and my younger siblings. I couldn't even manage that legitimately, so I…became a thief." The boy looked downcast. "And for a little while, I was able to get away with it, and was able to allow my younger siblings to live comfortably. But then I got caught…and it was the best thing to ever happen to me. When Lord Lonato heard my plight, he took the three of us in and raised us as his own. I'd be nowhere without his kindness. I'm here at the Officer's Academy to learn how to be a proper noble; I have to, since…I'm once again the oldest son." Again, a bit of nervousness. And now Dimitri understood. Lonato was the head of House Gaspard, a rather minor noble house with a small territory on the border with the Empire. His only son had been executed by the Church. Dimitri had thought him to be without any further heirs, and that upon his death, Gaspard would either pass into the control of House Rowe or possibly even get absorbed back into the Adrestian Empire. And frankly, it wasn't an important enough territory to go to war over if it came to that. But it seemed that Lonato had in fact adopted a trio of orphans, the oldest of which was now standing before Dimitri. This was definitely a good thing. Dimitri had seen over the years how corrupt nobles could be; Ashe's humble origins and hardscrabble life, combined with his strong sense of justice and exposure to what nobles _should_ be—kind and nurturing leaders—made him ideal to lead a noble house. Perhaps Gaspard was worth sending aid to if they ever needed it, after all.

* * *

The Black Eagles had even fewer commoners among them than the Blue Lions, and yet, it was among those sparse ranks that Ingrid had found a new friend. Dorothea was a protégé of one of the teachers at the monastery, a former opera singer, and she was…well, in some ways, she reminded her of Sylvain. On the one hand, Sylvain would no doubt see her as one of those women only after him for his Crest, and on the other, she'd see him as one of those stuck-up nobles who only care about prospective mates' background. They'd be perfect for each other. Marrying a commoner would fit right into Sylvain's grand joke.

The rest of the Black Eagles, on the other hand, she could do without. Lady Edelgard was certainly a strong and admirable leader, but there was something intimidating about her despite her short stature, which was no doubt aided by the downright sinister appearance of her chosen retainer, Hubert von Vestra. Then there was Ferdinand von Aegir, who didn't even make an _attempt_ to hide the fact that he hoped to usurp the Hresvelg Dynasty; Caspar von Bergliez, a bloodthirsty glory seeker; Linhardt von Hevring, an absolute sloth of a man whose scholarly curiosity would be admirable in a commoner but would likely get in the way of his duties as a noble. She hadn't even gotten to _see_ Count Varley's daughter, who was apparently extremely skittish and preferred to shut herself away in her room, and then there was the princess of Brigid, who seemed amicable but there was a bit of a language barrier. Not exactly the best start to the Academy's goal of fostering unity between the nations; but then again Ingrid was only a minor noble. Crown Prince Dimitri was already on very good terms with the future Emperor. Besides, given Galatea's location, it would be more important for her to find common ground with the members of the Golden Deer.

* * *

Ashe had expected to have more trouble making friends at the academy. He'd quickly bonded with a member of his own house, one whose story mirrored his own—born a noble, her house had fallen shortly after she was born, and she'd eventually wound up raised in a church, a commoner. They bonded over their faith and their shared love of cooking. And there were a pair of merchant's children from the Leicester Alliance, one meek and one boisterous, but both clearly good men. He enjoyed hearing about other parts of the world.

But it was upstairs from the cathedral where he'd bonded with Mercedes that Ashe found true happiness. What a beautiful library the monastery had! He looked around for some of his favorite books. Yes, there it is, the book that had caught his eye as a child, before he even learned how to read. "Loog and the Maiden of the Wind". There was someone else in the library. She appeared very young, even though her hair seemed to be going white. Ashe paid her no mind as he sat down to start rereading his favorite book.

* * *

CCX: So yeah, this chapter is taking place when the students first arrive at Garreg Mach Monastery, before Byleth even enters the picture. I have to admit, I haven't even gotten around to a playthrough of the Blue Lions' route; I started with the Golden Deer, and am currently on my first playthrough of the Black Eagles' route. So if I do decide to go with the Blue Lions' route for this story, which seems smartest because both of the characters involved are in that house, it may be a little while before I can get it finished.

But I just had to start it now! Even taking _out_ the genre requirement, a search for both Ingrid and Ashe yielded precisely jack squat. Which is criminal because as soon as I got their C-Support I was like "must advance this support all the way". They're so cute together!


	2. The New Professor

The Lady and the Thief  
by Cyberchao X

Chapter 2: The New Teacher

CCX: And _this _is why I insisted on waiting until I got back to the start of a third playthrough to be part of the Blue Lions. I seem to have already messed up quite a number of things from not knowing enough about the Blue Lions, and Crimson Flower isn't exactly forthcoming with paralogues. Furthermore, the main pairing for this story is a pair that I failed to recruit on my first playthrough, of the Golden Deer, so I hadn't even seen a wide swath of support conversations…

* * *

Much to the surprise of the Blue Lions, the mercenary that had saved Prince Dimitri was to be their new teacher. He said that he was fine with them addressing him casually, but a number of them, Dimitri included, felt that they should be showing him more respect. Almost as soon as he'd joined the monastery, the new teacher, Byleth, led the Blue Lions to a victory in a mock battle, though it was far closer than they'd expected given his reputation.

On the subject of Byleth's reputation, almost immediately after the son of Jeralt the Blade Breaker became the professor for the Blue Lions house, they gained a new member from the ranks of the Golden Deer, a commoner named Leonie Pinelli. She seemed to fit right in among the boisterous crowd. (CCX: Yeah, apparently my starting strength was high enough that the extra lance levels were all I needed even without a C support. Go figure.)

The students' first mission under Byleth went off without a hitch, but then they received word of their next mission. Lord Lonato of Gaspard was said to be leading a rebellion against the Church. Ashe was stunned when the professor announced it. To try to help the young lad get his mind off of it, he invited Ashe to join him on a trip to the marketplace, and it was there that the professor first learned of Ashe's love of reading. A thief had grabbed a copy of one of Ashe's favorite books, "Loog and the Maiden of Wind", from a saleswoman in the market, and Ashe compensated the woman, then ran after the thief. Indeed, Ashe ended up spending much of the weeks leading up to the mission in the library. The day before the mission, he was rereading the Sword of Kyphon when Ingrid walked in, startling him. It proved a welcome distraction as she was familiar with the tale and was every bit the fan that he was and they spent much time talking about it.

The next day, they departed for their mission. One of the Knights of Seiros accompanied them, and she told Byleth that they presumed Lonato had a vendetta against the Church for executing his son, Christophe, on suspicion of being involved in the Tragedy of Duscur. The mission went flawlessly…too flawlessly. The civilian rebels were absolutely decimated by the Blue Lions, Byleth himself striking down Lonato. He felt it was his duty. As a mercenary, he was the best equipped to deal with the harsh reality of the situation.

Catherine, the knight that accompanied them, reported that Lonato was carrying a letter detailing a plan to assassinate the archbishop. Curious…this felt like a set-up. Byleth was certain of this. Everything about this seemed suspicious. He didn't know all the details about this world, but he'd heard that many of his students, including Dimitri himself, thought that the Tragedy of Duscur was not as simple as it seemed. That the people of Duscur were innocent. But if suspicion were to fall upon rebels within the Kingdom, wouldn't that make it more likely that Christophe was indeed a traitor? All he knew was that his father was suspicious of the Archbishop, and upon hearing her words, he understood why. Despite her serene, almost divine appearance, her words suggested a ruthless tyrant that would execute anyone suspected of opposing her, without even waiting to find out if said suspicions were warranted. He was relieved to learn that Ashe's younger siblings were being taken care of.

* * *

Ingrid was impressed with Professor Byleth. He had a natural charisma that seemed to attract students. She'd found that her impression of the Brigid princess was spot on; while the language barrier was still a challenge, she'd found a capable ally on the battlefield—and more importantly, a fellow would-be flier. He'd also recruited another of the commoners from the Golden Deer, a meek merchant's son, but the next month, he'd pulled off an absolute coup, recruiting two of the most skittish students in the monastery. Having non-Kingdom students was, perhaps, for the best, as once again, the Kingdom's ills were at the forefront of their missions. Sylvain's older brother, Miklan, had stolen the Lance of Ruin. Ingrid had known that Miklan resented Sylvain, but to go as far as to steal House Gautier's sacred relic…

Felix's father had come to the monastery to personally ask for help, which naturally had Felix on edge—and he took his anger out on Prince Dimitri. "The Boar Prince", he called him. Ingrid had every bit as much reason to be angry about the events of four years prior as Felix did—Glenn was her fiancé, after all, and she'd had no problems with _that_ arranged marriage—but she couldn't reconcile the image that he painted of their prince with the man she knew. She'd spoken to Dedue, learned how Dimitri had saved him despite what the people of Duscur had allegedly done. She was amazed at how Dedue bore no ill will towards those who were suspicious of him because of his heritage, people like her. But if all was indeed not as it seemed, that was a matter for Dimitri to sort out—and Edelgard, and Claude, and perhaps the Church. Not a low-level noble who wished only to be a knight.

"Noble and virtuous". She'd blushed when Ashe called her that, on their most recent discussion of valorous legends. She'd said he reminded her of the knight he'd mentioned, too, due to his honesty, and he'd suggested that they work together to become knights as glorious as the ones in those legends. How ideal that would be, and yet…she couldn't do that. She explained as much to Ashe, about her obligations to carry on the legacy of House Galatea. So she asked him to see through his dream for the both of them. He told her not to smile when her eyes were so sad…but how could she not? She'd found that, for the first time since losing Glenn…she was in love. And yet, she couldn't pursue it, for he was a commoner.

* * *

The first step towards becoming a valiant knight was to put his past behind him. Ashe told the professor about his encounter with the book thief, and while he doubted the man's story, he didn't judge Ashe for his past or for believing the man and wanting to see the best in everyone.

Another knight arrived at the monastery. Gilbert. He was an older man who exuded strength, but there was something…familiar, about him, and not just in how he reminded Ashe of the knights in his favorite stories. He couldn't quite place it, though.

Had he asked Professor Byleth about it, he might have gotten an answer—though most likely, he would've just gotten one of those cryptic comments that the professor was so good at. Annette recognized her father right away, but she couldn't bring herself to confront him. She'd confided in the professor during one of their study sessions, and he'd told her that it was best to take things at her own pace. He wasn't going anywhere, after all. Though "her own pace" was, he'd concede, not always healthy. The girl had a nasty tendency to take on more than she could handle. Still, he was happy for her. After all, her main reason for trying to get a referral to the Academy was to search for her father, and now she'd found him.

* * *

Byleth grew ever more concerned in the wake of their latest mission. The Lance of Ruin transformed Miklan into a monster, and Rhea's main concern was trying to conceal that this had happened, as it would disrupt the people's faith in the nobility. He begrudgingly handed the lance back to the church. After his meeting, he met with Dimitri, who revealed that the undue value of a Crest had even affected the royal family—it was his uncle, not his father, who was the first-born son of the previous king, yet his uncle's lack of a Crest had caused him to be passed over. All of the Houses that bear the blood of the 10 Elites value the Crests thusly, but House Gautier has a stronger mandate on bearing an heir with a Crest. Byleth asked why that is, and learned that the strength granted by their Crest has helped them in defending the Kingdom's northern border. Byleth said that strength is strength, with or without a Crest, and Dimitri agreed with him. And yet, if no stock was put in Crests at all, the bloodlines would dwindle, and the metaphorical blade would rust. Both sides, at once both right and wrong… One thing caught Byleth's attention. "Everyone has something that is _unacceptable_ within them. I certainly do, and I'd wager you do as well." Dimitri had just been talking about acceptance, and yet…it was a very negative view of humanity.

The next month's mission was to find Seteth's sister, Flayn, who had gone missing. All suspicions regarding the Church aside, Byleth found this to be a worthwhile mission. Flayn was a kind girl, if a bit sheltered. And yet…something still felt off, even here. Rhea paused before saying the word "sister", and while she told Seteth that she considered his sister to be family "as well", it seemed that Flayn resembled Rhea _more_ than she resembled her brother Seteth.

* * *

Dimitri was quite perturbed. According to the monastery's records, Edelgard's uncle, Arundel, had given very generously up until 1174, when his donations just outright stopped. It was as though he'd just disappeared. And yet, he clearly hadn't. To hear El tell about it, he was the one truly pulling the strings in the Empire, even as her father remained the Emperor.

Byleth had learned of this when Dimitri left the records in question out. Another mystery. At least here, he felt he'd have an ally among the knights. Apparently Shamir was, like himself, a former mercenary, and she was none too trustful of nobility. She seemed like a kindred soul.

* * *

CCX: Yeah this is moving way too quickly with not nearly enough character development. Well, there's plenty still to consider. And, hm, perhaps I'll try to be a bit more careful with keeping a save file near the end, if it turns out that the accompanying playthrough gets too far ahead of the fic. Oh, and for the first time in maybe ever...review replies!

**X the Reaper:** As did I, of course. Usually I don't like repeating pair-ups, but for the purposes of this fic, I will indeed be pairing them again this time, or trying to at any rate.

**Antex-The Legendary Zoroark:** I know, right? That was pretty much my motivation for writing this story. Also, I love your username. Kind of reminds me of some of my OCs when I was younger. (Yes, from the same era as when I first ended up with my current username. Sonic Adventure 2 was one of my favorite games as a teenager. I recently went back to it and it aged horribly but I still don't regret tying myself to it forever.)


	3. Blue Lions

The Lady and the Thief  
by Cyberchao X

Chapter 3: Blue Lions

Ingrid could have done without being a part of the Blue Lions' mission to Duscur. The natives were rebelling against the Kingdom, and Dimitri and Dedue wished to try to minimize casualties by intervening. On the one hand, it meant she got to fight with the Duscur people. On the other, it meant having to restrain herself from killing them. She managed, however, and due to the hilly terrain, the only unit in their class with a winged mount outright thrived, earning her the professor's praise as a result. Still, being there couldn't help but bring up memories. She talked about it with Dimitri after one of their training sessions, where the prince instantly recognized that her technique was taught to her by Glenn. Regardless of whether the people of Duscur were at fault for the Tragedy, it still happened, and Dimitri lost his parents and many knights, one of them Glenn—Dimitri's friend, Felix's brother, and Ingrid's fiancé. Ingrid sincerely hoped to help Dimitri usher in a new era where such tragedies would never occur again.

* * *

Professor Manuela was discovered near the end of the month in Jeritza's quarters, pointing to a secret passage. Professor Byleth proposed investigating immediately. Annette was less than enthusiastic, leading Mercedes to tease her about being afraid of dark places and saying that she and the professor would protect her. Byleth reassured her, however, that she didn't have to come along if it made her uncomfortable, as they had enough other magic users that they could suffice if a battle broke out. Annette said she'd be okay, but Byleth still felt it was best to hold her out of the battle. He was dismayed, however, when the Death Knight escaped (CCX: Real talk here, I completely forgot that killing all other enemies made him retreat. Ah, well, my refusal to use renown on support levels means I didn't have Lysithea yet here, anyway.) Mercedes mentioned the Death Knight feeling familiar somehow, which seemed strange as she was the gentlest soul in his class. Flayn then asked to join his class, and he had to concede that she would be safest there. Then there was the other girl…Monica. A member of the previous year's class who had gone missing before her graduation. She seemed to be recovering far too quickly, a point brought up to Byleth by one of the students from outside his house. Byleth agreed, it seemed suspicious. She'd disappeared a year ago, so to appear here…it seemed like yet another trap, like the letter Lonato was holding. Hm, a person who had disappeared…wasn't that reminiscent of Lord Arundel? And then there was Tomas. Byleth himself didn't find him suspicious, but for some reason, Sothis seemed to. Perhaps some fishing would clear his head. Though it seemed to be noisier at the fishing pond than usual…apparently, Flayn had been craving a certain fish, so Seteth organized a tournament on the fly. He really did spoil her.

* * *

The month leading up to the Battle of the Eagle and Lion was a busy one. Alois and Shamir recruited the students to help drive off pirates in Deidriu, Sylvain was called back to Gautier territory to drive out the remnants of Miklan's bandits, and Count Gloucester called upon his son Lorenz to resolve a territorial dispute back in the Alliance. Then there was the latest arranged marriage candidate for Ingrid. Dorothea was the first to show concern, and as usual, she was spot on. Ingrid was lucky to call her a friend. She wished she didn't have to fight her during the upcoming battle, but despite all the defections to the Blue Lions, Dorothea remained a Black Eagle.

Bernadetta, on the other hand, seemed to be thriving as a Blue Lion. The last time Byleth had sent someone else to fetch her, it ended with Ingrid smashing her door in, but the professor himself somehow had a way of getting her to function with some semblance of normalcy. The best guess anyone had as to how he did it involved bribery with sweets, something that the professor seemed to have a nearly endless supply of. He'd made a habit of having tea with his students on their birthdays, and occasionally other times too. There were some rumors floating around due to the frequency with which one certain student was invited to tea.

Ashe had found his birthday tea party rather awkward. He'd enjoyed his birthday nevertheless; he felt he'd been making an impact on Prince Dimitri, who'd gifted him a new bow, and also received a rather large gift of meat from Raphael, a painting from Ignatz, and a brand new book of legends from Ingrid. That last one he treasured most of all; he read it cover to cover within the first two days he'd had it and then put it on his shelf, wanting to keep the binding in good condition.

* * *

Dimitri was confident in the strength of the Blue Lions. He'd had his doubts about the professor when he'd first arrived, thinking him to be someone with no strong feelings about killing his enemies, but he now knew this not to be the case. Byleth was a natural leader—and more importantly, a natural advisor. This was something that had Dimitri both optimistic and concerned. He hoped that Byleth would join the Kingdom of Faerghus—the title "Minister of Defense" had a nice ring to it; it properly conveyed the idea of the highest-ranking military official, answering only to King Dimitri himself, while also suggesting that his role was not merely that of a general but also as an advisor. And yet, it was quite likely that he'd instead elect to remain a teacher at Garreg Mach. (Or so Dimitri thought; he had no idea that Byleth distrusted the Archbishop.)

* * *

CCX: I'm hoping this picks up once I get to the War Phase. I'm thinking maybe I'll try to do more original stuff for the five years interim; I'm kind of blocked up right now.

Also, in case it wasn't clear last chapter, I haven't actually decided who to pair Byleth with. There's certainly a direction I'm leaning, but I'm trying to tease multiple options and see what the readers want.


	4. The Eagle and the Lion

The Lady and the Thief  
by Cyberchao X

Chapter 4: The Eagle and the Lion

After the Blue Lions' overwhelming victory in the Battle of the Eagle and Lion, Dimitri expressed his desire for the name of the mock battle to be changed one day, to try to leave the historical Battle in the past. Back at the monastery, the students agreed that they couldn't have done it without Byleth's leadership, calling him indispensable. Byleth couldn't help but blush at the praise.

'_Without you, we wouldn't be the Blue Lions at all! Well, except for the blue part. Because we'd be sad.'_ Annette couldn't believe she'd said that. So embarrassing! Almost as bad as when Felix caught her singing in the greenhouse. Mercie hadn't let the comment slide, either; she'd made sure to tease the younger girl about having a crush on the professor. Which totally wasn't the case! Sure, she admired him. Who wouldn't? He was good at just about everything. Though, maybe he'd spread _himself_ too thin; aside from perhaps his leadership skills, there was nothing that he excelled at above all of the students. But still, there was so much that he could teach her! That was what thrilled her about being around the professor. It was just her natural love of learning, nothing more.

…Yeah, just keep telling yourself that, Annette.

* * *

It was near the beginning of the following month that Lord Arundel visited the monastery, and Byleth learned that Dimitri and Edelgard were stepsiblings. Sothis suggested that it had seemed as though he'd died, based on the records of his charity, yet this wasn't the case.

This took on a chilling new meaning at month's end. Sothis's suspicions of Tomas proved to be founded; he revealed himself to be Solon, the architect of the Remire Village calamity. Byleth remembered that Tomas had left the monastery, ostensibly to retire, and only returned a year before Byleth's arrival. If he was in fact Solon, that might mean that the real Tomas was dead all along. And if that was the case…Arundel might be one of Solon's allies. And worse still, so could Monica. She'd disappeared a year before and had been returned to them in the vault behind Jeritza's room. Or was that the Death Knight's? It seemed likely that the two were one and the same. And Byleth could tell he wasn't alone in his distrust for Monica; Hubert, Edelgard's closest retainer, seemed to be trying to keep Monica away from his liege. Though if her own uncle was also an impostor, she had bigger problems to deal with than Monica.

At the end of the battle, the Flame Emperor revealed himself. He claimed that had he known what Solon was planning, he'd have stopped it. Apparently theirs was an alliance of convenience, nothing more. Their goals were not the same, but they had a common…enemy. The Church of Seiros. But it almost sounded as though the Flame Emperor considered Solon's group an enemy as well, based on what he'd said when offering Byleth an alliance. Byleth declined of course, but nevertheless, it was quite mysterious. The Flame Emperor was no doubt planning to first bring down the church with the help of Solon and his cronies, then turn on them. Smart strategy, really; the Church was no doubt the stronger opponent. But while Rhea seemed a bit of a zealot, the Church was still most likely the least of three evils. Rhea was at least surrounded by more moderate voices. Seteth, of course; as distrustful as the man had been of Byleth at first, it was clear that he was a good person and that he'd merely acted out of concern. Catherine, too, and Cyril. So in spite of his misgivings about Rhea's leadership, Byleth would remain loyal to the church if it came to war. Besides, Dimitri was committed to stopping both Solon and the Flame Emperor. Byleth asked where his anger was coming from, and he said that what happened in Remire reminded him of the Tragedy of Duscur. And then he dropped a bombshell. The reason he came to the Officers' Academy…was for revenge.

Seteth confirmed many of Byleth's suspicions, and pointed out that Jeritza was recommended to the Monastery by Imperial nobility, while Tomas came from House Ordelia, in the Alliance. That was a disturbing trend, as it meant that their enemy had taken root in two territories. Furthermore, just as he was about to leave, Rhea said something interesting. "May the Goddess Sothis protect you." Sothis was the Goddess that the Church of Seiros followed? And Jeralt had just implied that Byleth had been born _before_ he'd left the monastery. Was this why he distrusted Rhea? Had she somehow done something to Byleth as a baby? Well, he'd find out soon enough. Jeralt would be joining him on his mission again this month; guarding an unused chapel that seemed to have been broken into. A light mission, to be sure, as this was supposed to be a more relaxed month, with the grand ball coming up.

How old _was_ he, anyway? Or Jeralt, for that matter? Alois had said that Jeralt was already a full-fledged knight some 30 years ago, and that he hadn't seemed to age a day since then. That probably meant that Byleth himself was in his twenties.

* * *

Ingrid knew that Mercedes meant well, but she had zero interest in prettying herself up for the sake of shallow men for this ball. She'd already had enough of men after the business with the ennobled merchant. And yet…it was just the monastery, right? There were plenty of people she already knew here. Old friends…and perhaps a few new ones. Like Ashe. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to humor Mercedes, after all.

* * *

There were more issues plaguing the land. Merchants along the route from Gloucester to Riegan were being attacked, and there were rumors that Count Gloucester himself was behind it, and the death of the previous Duke Riegan. The same incident where Raphael's parents died. Ignatz couldn't help but feel guilty about this, even though there was nothing that could have been done.

Byleth was growing ever more perturbed. After the White Heron Cup, he'd talked to Flayn, and she'd said something about feeling like they'd met long ago. Almost as if they were distant relatives. At first she'd dismissed her own notion, but then considered that with "all that Rhea has done, it is not entirely out of the realm of possibility." That was strange. And if it tied in with Sothis being the Goddess…then it was quite possible that Rhea, Seteth, and Flayn were what were referred to as the "children of the Goddess". Whatever that meant. Byleth wanted to investigate further, but their mission would soon be upon them. But before that, the ball. Dimitri proposed that the class all meet up again at the millennium festival, five years hence.

Byleth found it hard being the center of attention at the ball. Much to his surprise, he ran into Dimitri when he stepped away. He would've thought Dimitri would've been out on the floor all night. Dimitri related the story of Edelgard teaching him how to dance as a child. Apparently quite some time had passed between Dimitri gaining a stepmother and learning that he had a stepsister. Ah, she had been raised back in the Empire…when she had left, and wound up in the Kingdom, it was Arundel that had been caring for her. Dimitri and Edelgard had grown close. As a parting gift, he'd given her a dagger. A tradition in Faerghus, that blades are tools of destiny, used to cut a path to a better future. But he felt they'd grown too far apart to reconnect. Byleth headed towards the Goddess Tower. And yet again, he saw someone he didn't expect to have broken away from the festivities. Wasn't it just yesterday that Annette was excitedly planning to help Mercedes with getting Ingrid made up for the ball, and offering to teach Ashe how to dance? Byleth smiled, realizing that perhaps those two things were related. Mercedes seemed to have a sense of everyone else's needs, and Annette was her closest friend at the academy so if Mercedes was trying to play matchmaker, she'd be likely to be in on it. Those two clearly had feelings for each other, but they were both so awkward that they needed the help. Oh, Annette was specifically looking for _him_. To try to bring him back to the dance.

Byleth tried not to giggle at Annette spontaneously singing a song about food. She could be a bit awkward sometimes, too. She said it was about a yummy stew that one of the monks taught her how to make a while back, and offered to make it for him. And then she started blushing and asked if she should leave. There was a tradition that if people make a wish at the Goddess Tower, it'd come true, so it's a popular spot for couples to rendezvous. Yes, one of the students had mentioned that earlier in the month. Annette returned to the ball and asked Byleth to dance with her if he returned. He sighed. As a professor, it was probably inappropriate for him to get too close to any of his students. Even if he was…probably not too much older than them.

Sothis was being unusually chatty. She again chastised him for leaving the ball too quickly, then asked him to investigate where the Archbishop was headed. She was singing…and Sothis recognized the song. She thinks she wrote it? Well, that does seem to suggest a connection between Rhea and the Goddess that goes beyond merely being the Archbishop.

Demonic Beasts were seen at the chapel…and Jeralt thinks that they came from within. The students were being transformed… It didn't take long for his suspicions to be confirmed. These were students. It didn't take long to neutralize the threat…yes, that was the only way to describe it. They had become monsters. They needed to be stopped.

And then it happened. Monica was the one behind this, and for interfering…she killed Jeralt. Even with the Divine Pulse, Byleth couldn't stop her. An ally stepped in to stop him. Was it that important to them that Jeralt die? No, judging by what that strange man had said, it wasn't for the sake of making sure Jeralt died that he'd intervened. It was because "Monica" had not yet finished serving her purpose to them. Jeralt's diary stated that in Horsebow Moon, Year 1159…that's when his beloved had died. Rhea said she'd died in childbirth, and yet, the child doesn't make a sound. That was…him, right? But his birthday was clear on the other side of the year, wasn't it? Just before New Year's? Well, at any rate, he now knew his age. 21. Dimitri tried to comfort him…or was it to inspire him? Dimitri clearly had a lot of anger below the surface. But Sothis seemed to know why their fates have been intertwined. Rhea confirmed that Byleth's mother was a nun at the monastery, and started to say that she was Rhea's…something, but Alois interrupted.

A few days later, Dimitri witnessed Monica, the Flame Emperor, and the mage that had intervened to save Monica. Or rather, _Kronya_. The Flame Emperor seemed to be openly opposed to this new mage, Thales, and to Kronya, even though he was, in Thales's words, "their greatest creation". Dimitri rushed in, but the Flame Emperor parried his attack, and they left. Dimitri seemed perturbed by the dagger that the Flame Emperor used to block his attack. Wait, hadn't he just been talking about a dagger? But it couldn't be…no, it had to be a coincidence.

Seteth and Flayn set off early in the month to deal with a Western Church incursion on holy ground at Rhodos Coast. Byleth helped drive them off, and Seteth entrusted the relics enshrined there to him for safekeeping. And yet, something seemed strange. Seteth mentioned this coast having a certain sentimental significance to him and Flayn. The stone monument was not only commemorating Saint Cichol, but also the grave of his wife. His wife? And then Flayn started talking about her departed mother again, and Seteth revealed that he and Flayn are not brother and sister, but father and daughter. And that was interesting in its own right…because Saint Cichol, whose Crest Seteth bears, and Saint Cethleann, whose crest Flayn bears, were _also_ father and daughter. And Saint Cichol's feast day, which had just passed, was Seteth's birthday…just as Flayn's had been on Saint Cethleann Day. And Flayn had implied that she was far older than she appeared. Could it be that they _were_, in fact, those saints? Back when Flayn's crest had been a topic of discussion, it had been mentioned that Cethleann allegedly had no children. And that would tie in with Sothis being the Goddess. But what did that make Rhea, and how had she seemingly been responsible for his connection to the Goddess?

After that, it was more bandit cleanup, this time in Fraldarius territory. It was rather unpleasant due to the animosity Felix had towards his father. On the subject of unpleasantries, Leonie seemed to still resent Byleth for not appearing to appreciate his father enough, or something. Then came Saint Seiros day…no. Of course. Saint Seiros…

Byleth was starting to get…annoyed, perhaps, at how much everyone seemed to be wishing him condolences. Touched, yes, but it was a bit ridiculous. Even Bernadetta had come out of her room to lay flowers on his grave. Impressive, to be sure. All Byleth really wanted was to train. Sadly, all of the knights were away on missions. Hanneman received a tip on the Death Knight's whereabouts, but it turned out to be bogus; just a group of bandits that called themselves the Death God Gang. After that, however, came a mission far more personal to the Blue Lions: executing the Bishop of the Western Church. Ashe immediately volunteered to join the mission, which Catherine objected to as this was an execution, not an investigation. Typical of Lady Rhea, Byleth thought. Her tendency to see executions as the answer to everything was going to get them in trouble someday. But while it was likely that Lonato, and perhaps the Western Church as a whole, had been used by the Church's real enemies, they were no less dangerous. The Knights of Seiros put down the rebellion, and Ashe received the answers he was looking for. Though this was hardly the only thing that had Ashe in an optimistic mood. Upon receiving his Sniper certification, the professor had switched his weekly study regimen to lances and _riding_. Ashe was truly to become a knight!

However, at the end of the month, the enemy was found. Seteth suspected that they had shown themselves to lure Byleth out. But while Byleth agreed with this, he still felt obligated to go. Dimitri agreed, saying that those who wielded Relics were best suited to the job. Many of the students were hesitant to fight an enemy that they knew personally, but Felix, in his typical cold fashion, said that if that's the case, then just kill the enemy from behind.

Kronya quickly made it easier on them by ditching Monica's appearance, including the fake voice she'd put on. She wasn't very good in a fair fight, though; Byleth had had no trouble dispatching her. But before he could capture her for interrogation, Solon showed up and used her as a sacrifice for something called the forbidden spell of Zahras. Dimitri, naturally, wished for Solon to die a slow and painful death. But first, there was the matter of overcoming Zahras. Something that only a goddess would be able to do…

And so it was that Sothis and Byleth became one and the same. Byleth couldn't say he'd miss her nagging, but it was useful to have a second viewpoint. Solon wasn't much of a challenge for Byleth, either, but he swore that his defeat would not be the end, as Thales would carry out their mission. Dimitri revealed that what Byleth had undergone was alleged to have happened to Saint Seiros as well.

Rhea seemed stranger than ever now that Byleth had merged with Sothis. It was honestly a bit creepy. So this was what Jeralt had feared…that Rhea had some grand scheme involving Byleth. A scheme to bring back Sothis? Even Seteth was worried that Rhea had done something questionable, and Flayn was concerned that they were growing apart. Rhea told Byleth that he must go to the Holy Tomb to receive a revelation from the goddess, just as Saint Seiros did. As Rhea did. They really were the same person, weren't they? Ha… Byleth was already starting to miss Sothis.

Dimitri seemed out of it all month. Perhaps still bothered by that dagger? He, too, seemed to believe that Rhea was not as she appeared. He believed her when she said she could protect herself; that she had a capable military background.

Rhea stated that the Holy Tomb was where the Goddess and her children were laid to rest. And there within sat the very throne that Byleth had seen Sothis perched atop. Byleth sat atop the throne…but he heard nothing. Rhea seemed concerned, feeling it should've been but a step away. Foolish woman. He'd been hearing her just fine _before_ his transformation, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to hear Sothis anymore. And then, in came the Flame Emperor, along with the Imperial Army. The former ordered the latter to take all the Crest Stones within the Holy Tomb. Dimitri accused the Flame Emperor of being responsible for the Tragedy of Duscur, which…_they_ denied. Yes, that was the right word to use. Byleth didn't believe it, and that latest accusation suggested that Dimitri didn't either, but the presence of the Imperial Army and Dimitri's reaction to the dagger the Flame Emperor had wielded were evidence to suggest that it could be Edelgard inside that armor, so it was best to avoid assigning a gender to the unknown foe.

The Blue Lions had no trouble defending the Crest Stones, and Byleth discovered that he had correctly read Dimitri's reaction to the dagger…but misread Dimitri's intent before the battle. Either that, or he'd already decided that the Flame Emperor was responsible no matter what their real identity turned out to be. Byleth believed Edelgard when she claimed to have no role in the Tragedy of Duscur, but Dimitri was too far consumed by rage to see things logically. Also, perhaps, he hadn't seen what Byleth had, that they were not fighting a single enemy, but two enemies temporarily allied towards a common goal. It was probably the other enemy, the strange pale-skinned group of shapeshifters, that was behind Duscur. But that didn't change the fact that the Adrestian Empire had declared war on the Church of Seiros and its allies.

* * *

CCX: I'd actually felt like I'd reached the end of this chapter about one in-game chapter earlier, but then I remembered that the moment I'd decided on a title for this chapter (unlike the last chapter, which had nearly gone untitled until I was actually uploading it), I'd decided that it would run through the reveal of the Flame Emperor's true identity. And with it, I've just about reached the point where more originality will appear. In fact, I'm probably going to go right into writing Chapter 5 as soon as I post this, because there's no need to play further to start the writing.

Also…yeah, the "trying to give all romantic options an equal representation" bit didn't exactly go so well. Obviously the scene at the Goddess Tower automatically tips who the leading candidate was, but even my original writings have it kind of tipped towards that candidate. So far one person has responded to me mentioning that I was undecided, and both of the names they mentioned were on the list of possibilities and were probably my top 2 choices-though as you can see here, not in the order that they mentioned them.

Finally, it wasn't until I took a closer look at the text in order to write this that I realized how Jeralt's diary messes with the idea of Byleth as an Avatar. While it doesn't directly say how long since Byleth's birth the diary is being written, the cemetery does indeed put Byleth's mother's year of death as being 1159. Since she allegedly died in childbirth, and was already dead by the end of Horsebow Moon, it really ruins the suspension of disbelief if your Byleth's birthday is in, say, Ethereal or Guardian Moon. (Mine's close enough that it's still _barely_ plausible; if you concede the possibility that "died in childbirth" doesn't necessarily mean "died _during_ the birth", but instead could cover complications of the childbirth resulting in the child losing its mother at only a few days old, well, it'd really only have to be one day because being based off of my own birthday, my Byleth's birthday is the final day of Lone Moon, presumed in story to have been 1158.) So, until next time, this is Cyberchao X, signing off.


	5. To War

The Lady and the Thief  
by Cyberchao X

Chapter 5: To War

(yes, the same as the only in-game chapter that will be covered in this, since there very well may be entire chapters devoted to _during_ the timeskip. What can I say; it's an appropriate name.)

Byleth asked Rhea and Seteth what they believed Edelgard's goals to be. Seteth was of the same mind as Byleth; that her goals were to conquer all of Fódlan. Or perhaps even make herself a false deity by demonizing the Church of Seiros. Shamir then reported that the army was marching on Garreg Mach. Not surprising, really. That was one part of the plot over the past months that Byleth did believe to be Edelgard's doing. What was the first real mission they'd been sent on? Quelling the rebellion in Gaspard—a territory on the border of the Empire and the Kingdom, and one fairly close to Garreg Mach at that. Byleth was certain that they'd be trying to annex the territory before long, and he shared these suspicions with both of the remaining house leaders—Dimitri, because as mad as he'd become, he was still the heir to the Kingdom and thus in the position to order troops to fortify it, and Claude, to have a fellow tactical mind to confirm that he was thinking clearly. Claude agreed that that was exactly what he'd have done in Edelgard's situation. With that settled, there was the matter of how to break this news to Ashe. Byleth was certainly willing to excuse Ashe from remaining with the rest of them, as it was important that he protect his homeland. He was, after all, the de facto leader.

Ashe seemed conflicted, but opted to stay. His place was with the Blue Lions, and at any rate, he was no noble, adoptive father or not. The former Black Eagles among their group had varying reactions to Edelgard's actions, ranging from completely unfazed (Ferdinand, who'd always wanted to overthrow Edelgard anyway) to concerned (Dorothea, who rejected the idea that Edelgard herself had set Lonato up in favor of it being Hubert's doing—which, given his tendency to act in her best interests even if it meant occasionally going behind her back, was entirely possible).

The Empire wasn't the only force to contend with, however. Hilda received a summons back to her homeland of Goneril, at the very eastern edge of the Alliance, to deal with the encroachment of Almyrans. When Cyril heard about this, he wanted to assist, as he himself had been caught up in a previous battle at Fódlan's Throat and wanted to make sure that any children that were orphaned by the fighting were taken care of, as he was.

* * *

Dimitri was growing ever more unstable. Dedue noticed, Byleth noticed, _everyone_ noticed. Felix seemed rather smug about it, having seen this side of the prince before. Byleth had no patience for this. "He's not the only one showing his true colors. You claim to be disgusted by the games of nobility, but isn't House Fraldarius one of the strongest houses in the Kingdom? Don't _you _have the most to gain if House Blaiddyd were to fall yet we were still victorious?"

"You think I want to rule the whole Kingdom?"

"No. I know you don't want to rule anything. I've heard the reports of your…creative approach towards strategy meetings. But your father _was_ the king's closest adviser. He would be the most logical choice if…" Byleth trailed off. "I shouldn't be thinking that way. It's my duty to prevent that from happening. And yet…"

"And yet right now, you kind of want to just set the bloodthirsty cur on his enemy and hope that neither one survives." That was Felix for you. Blunt and ruthless. He'd read the professor perfectly. Edelgard had to be stopped, and yet, he found her the more sympathetic leader. Dimitri was…Dimitri had gone mad.

"Just…have faith in us, okay?" Sylvain said. "We'll keep him in line. We're nobles, too, and Dedue will be at his side."

* * *

The morning of the battle, Dimitri gave Byleth a letter. Much to Byleth's surprise, it contained birthday wishes. Apparently he wasn't so far gone after all. Well, he was, but at least he was still functioning. Perhaps it was best to put that aggression to use defending the western section of the battlefield, where the Empire was sending demonic beasts at them.

Byleth realized he'd made a slight tactical error on the eastern lane. While the foot soldiers that were advancing up that side were quickly dispatched by Mercedes's and Annette's magic, they were being led by the Death Knight. Thinking quickly, he ordered Ashe over to the ballista to disturb the Death Knight and spur him to advance, and once he did, a couple more bolts from the ballista weakened him to the point where Annette could deal the blow required to drive him off. He sent the flying units up the center, but just when they seemed to have the upper hand, Edelgard launched an assault that led to everything careening out of control. The Archbishop revealed herself to be The Immaculate One, and the dark mage Thales launched an attack that led to Byleth's disappearance, with the Archbishop herself disappearing soon thereafter.

* * *

Bernadetta was at a loss as to where to go now. She couldn't return home, not after she'd sided against the Empire. But Garreg Mach had been taken, and the professor was nowhere to be found. She just wanted to hide away somewhere. Luckily, there was someone with similar feelings who recognized that need. "Hey, Bernie?"

"W-what is it, Annette?"

"You've made a habit of just hiding away from the world, haven't you? Do you…do you think you could teach me how it's done?"

Bernadetta was too confused to be nervous. "It's not really hiding away from the world if you're not alone."

"Yeah, I know. But you won't fuss over me the way my father and Mercie do."

"Y-your father?"

"Yeah. He's a knight here. I came to the Academy to look for him, and I found him."

"…So why do you want to hide? You're so outgoing and likeable and everything I'm not!"

"We've got one very important thing in common. It's the reason why I don't want to be bothered…and the reason why, as much as you may want to, you probably shouldn't be all alone."

It dawned on Bernadetta. "You fell for him too?" Annette nodded. "But then that makes us rivals! I won't let you kill me and take him all for yourself!"

"Snap out of it, Bernie, _he's gone!_" Annette broke down crying. "He's…he's not coming back. I'm sorry; I shouldn't have pushed you to be friends. I know how scared of other people you are, I just…I thought maybe we could help each other cope with this tragedy…"

"Annette…" Bernadetta couldn't be afraid of someone so vulnerable…so much like herself. Normally she'd be paranoid that it was all a trick, but she couldn't deny the unlikelihood of that. Besides, _she_ hadn't been acting out of the ordinary, so if Annette already knew that she had a rival for Byleth's heart, she could've acted at any time. So she slowly walked over to her and…hugged her. It seemed like the right thing to do, and Annette returned the gesture. They'd mourn together, and from there…who knows? She had to admit, she'd always envied Annette's cheerful, outgoing nature. She seemed to make friends so easily. And now, she wanted Bernie as her friend. That's what she'd do.

* * *

The task before Ashe Ubert, or Ashe Gaspard as he was calling himself at Dimitri's recommendation, was an immense one. Because Edelgard's plan, or Hubert's or Thales's or whoever was responsible for sowing the seeds of discontent in Gaspard, had worked perfectly. When Emperor Edelgard made her speech denouncing the church, and then-Prince Dimitri was seen defending it, that was all that the people of Gaspard needed to defect. As such, Ashe was a Lord in name only, controlling a territory whose people despised him. The Kingdom sent some troops to try to retake the land, but there were far more important duties, like defending what they still had. Besides, Ashe didn't want to retake his land by force. That wouldn't solve anything.

* * *

Ingrid had hoped that the war would at least give her respite from her father's attempts to marry her off, seeing as how she was a knight in service of the king, but in fact, it had the opposite effect. Fearful that she could be lost at any time, and with her, their bloodline, he was adamant that she find a groom immediately. Thankfully, she had enough authority to command the troops herself. The Galatea Pegasus Knights would follow her, not her father. And she knew exactly where to lead them.

That wasn't to say that her orders went entirely unquestioned. Many of these knights were girls she'd grown up with, people who knew about her past. About Glenn. They wondered why she was so adamant on trying to take back Gaspard, forever branded as the traitors who'd first betrayed the Kingdom to side with Duscur, then to side with the Alliance. She told them that she couldn't say whether they were involved with Duscur or not, but the sins of the dead should not be held against the living. A deflection, of course, from the real issue at hand. Once Gaspard was Faerghus territory once more, her current beloved would be ennobled. And such a strategically important territory at that would naturally require the strength of a Crest, and would be looked upon favorably by the Kingdom—the same justification House Gautier used for absolutely requiring their heirs to have a Crest, she remembered. She couldn't help but think about what Sylvain had gone through with his older brother. But nevertheless, it would no doubt please her father. House Galatea would be the preeminent house he wished it would become, standing guard over the Kingdom's southern border just as Gautier guarded the north. It already held one border location, along the Alliance Border, but that wasn't as strategically important since the Alliance was usually too consumed with infighting to have any aspirations of warmongering.

* * *

The Empire had the upper hand throughout the war, and Fhirdiad eventually fell due to the efforts of the Imperial loyalist Cornelia. Dimitri had gone missing, leaving the noble houses of Gautier, Fraldarius, Galatea, and Charon to defend what little remained of the Kingdom.

No, that wasn't quite right. There was a fifth one. House Dominic may not have had lands of their own, but their leaders were as staunch a group of defenders of the throne and the Church as you could get. Gilbert left his position among the Knights of Seiros to rejoin the royal guard. But Cornelia had sentenced Dimitri to death for the supposed crime of killing King Regent Rufus. Many held out hope that he had never actually been executed, as it was all done in secret, but Gilbert only began to believe when he heard rumors of an Imperial platoon destroyed so brutally that it was hard to imagine they'd been killed by human hands. And finally, Gilbert found the Prince…and with him, amazingly, the professor.

* * *

CCX: Well this chapter was frustrating. The game sets a pretty concrete timeline that the Empire overruns the Kingdom pretty damn quickly, which denies me of any opportunity to do much of anything with the intervening time. So…yeah, I ended up just doing a timeskip of my own. The last paragraph is pretty much the only thing that isn't almost immediately after Chapter 12.

Also, this game had better find some way of nullifying its plotline death. I already _did_ Verdant Wind so I know full well he survives in that path where he's merely an NPC!


	6. The Ruins of Hope

The Lady and the Thief  
by Cyberchao X

Chapter 6: The Ruins of Hope

The war-torn state of Fódlan was toughest on the commoners, Ashe lamented. He ran into the very same man he'd tried to help all those years ago, and he recognized Ashe, and was grateful, but he still seemed to be struggling. Meanwhile, he'd managed to parlay his good fortune to have been rescued by a man branded traitor into…well, not exactly a life of luxury, but he didn't want for much, relatively speaking. He could even afford to buy expensive books for…certain people that he cared for. He wondered if he was being too forward, getting Ingrid a gift so soon after they reunited, but he was…happy. Being back with his old friends, under the Professor's command…for the first time in five years, he really felt like he was home.

* * *

Annette was overwhelmed by it all. There he was, alive and well and looking exactly as he did five years ago. And he wasn't just the professor now; he was the leader of the Knights of…Faerghus, she supposed. Because that was her father's allegiance now, the Kingdom of Faerghus, and her father had basically become Byleth's second-in-command. She tried to distract herself with whatever work she could find, but of course, she overdid it. And who should find her fretting over what to do on her day off but Byleth himself. He invited her to tea, just like old times, but it was something different. Relaxing, or at least, it was supposed to be. Annette was having trouble relaxing. Her heart kept beating so loudly…she wished she could go on like this forever.

Bernadetta was struggling internally, too. She was happy to be back at the monastery with all of her friends, but she knew that her closest friend would now be her greatest rival. Because over the past five years, she and Annette had grown close—closer than they had in the year that they'd been in adjacent rooms at the Academy. But now…the man they'd both fallen in love with was alive.

* * *

It seemed strange to Byleth, the situation he now found himself in. To his mind, the battle against Edelgard at Garreg Mach was just a few days earlier, and indeed, aside from the lack of Lady Rhea hanging over him, as well as a couple of other notable absences, everything felt as it always did. The students…no, they weren't students anymore, but they were still his students. The students still called him "Professor", even though they were so much older. Well, except Flayn. She and Seteth didn't appear to have aged a day, of course, seeing as how they were likely immortal just like Rhea…and like himself, perhaps? Shamir thought it was strange, given that he was now strictly a military commander, but Byleth liked it. It felt like normalcy.

* * *

Dimitri seemed excited by the prospect of the Imperial Army marching on Garreg Mach yet again, even though it was obvious that Edelgard wouldn't be with them and it was clear that his bloodlust wouldn't be satisfied until she was dead. Byleth was honestly concerned about sending him into the coming battle, and yet, he couldn't hold the prince back. For a brief moment, he'd thought he'd had nothing to fear when he heard Dimitri give the order to capture the enemy general alive. He was dead wrong. It turned out Dimitri gave that order because he felt that a swift death was too _merciful_; he wanted General Randolph to suffer. Byleth saw in the general only an honorable man, and so even though he'd hoped to minimize casualties on both sides, he decided that killing him was the best option.

Gilbert asked Dimitri what his next move was. He wished to march on Enbarr and take Edelgard out right away. Ingrid and Annette disagreed with this, feeling it was better for the future king to retake Fhirdiad first, let his people know he was fighting for them. Ashe and Mercedes, on the other hand, agreed with Dimitri, though for different reasons—Ashe because he agreed that taking out Edelgard would be the swiftest way to end the war, and Mercedes because she felt that Enbarr was the more likely location for completing their other goal of locating Lady Rhea. Seteth then told Byleth to make the decision, which was no easy task. Despite the danger of feeding Dimitri's bloodlust, Ashe was correct about the quickest way to end the war being to take Edelgard out quickly. But on the other hand, he was in no rush to find Lady Rhea…right?

Dimitri was an issue. Dimitri was not, in this state, his future ruler. Why would he want to help him retake his kingdom? It wasn't even his desire at the moment, either. And Byleth had allies from all over Fódlan, not just Faerghus. Ending the war was the priority. Enbarr it was.

* * *

CCX: I know that I write best when I have no idea where the story is going until it gets there, which is why I'm kind of glad that I ended up doing this on what's still sort of a blind run (having yet to complete Azure Moon)…but this is quickly becoming something other than what it was initially intended to be. At this rate I may end up having to rename the damn thing unless I can seriously extend it past the end of the game proper (though that was always the plan). Also, the fact that my own sympathies are clearly with Edelgard, both because Rhea is kind of a dick and because Dimitri is kind of a monster.

Still, let the decision to go after Enbarr be a signal that this isn't decided just yet.

* * *

Rodrigue wished for a meeting in Ailell, the Valley of Torment, to deliver the reinforcements the Church asked for. A place where humans rarely ventured, on the border between the Kingdom and the Alliance. All seemed to agree that this was likely a good place to meet them.

Meanwhile, Byleth learned from Gilbert that things in his own former territory were not so simple. Though Gilbert had revealed his true identity, his brother remained Baron Dominic, the role he'd taken when Gilbert first disappeared—and he was pressured by Cornelia into maintaining a pro-Empire stance. He learned this not because Gilbert had had any plans of doing anything about this, but rather because Annette had wished to retrieve the family's Hero's Relic. Gilbert tried to discourage her from going, but she stubbornly insisted. Gilbert reluctantly went after her, but not before asking Byleth to bring an army as backup—but _not_ to charge in, only to rescue the two of them if they were captured. (CCX: Side note: Given the story set-up of that map, it's kind of silly that you can still assign adjutants to Gilbert and Annette in that battle.) Sure enough, Baron Dominic refused to give up Crusher without a fight.

The idea of Annette wielding that giant axe was worrying to Gilbert and Byleth alike. She meant well, but she was overexcitable and could be a bit clumsy at times. Equally worrying were the reports of the Death Knight being spotted near the monastery. Mercedes's reaction to this news was…rather odd. It almost sounded as though she had deduced his true identity…and it was someone close to her. Her brother—half-brother, rather. Based on his actions at the end of the battle, it seemed her suspicions were correct. He stubbornly remained an enemy, but he did give Mercedes their House's Hero's Relic. A rather curious item, not at all suited for a back-line fighter like Mercedes. Byleth gave it to Sylvain.

Unfortunately, there were spies among them, members of Faerghus's House Rowe, which had turned traitor against the Kingdom and now served the Empire. Their forces were led by an old knight called Gwendal, who entered the battle perfectly willing to die—in fact, it seemed he desired it. Byleth's plan called primarily for highly mobile units, both flying and ground-bound. That was soon going to become an overarching theme, with so many units training for top-tier classes, so he also felt it prudent to give Flayn the Boots of the Wind to help her keep up.

Rodrigue again suggested that the army retake Fhirdiad first, saying that it was better to "prioritize the living over the dead". Byleth couldn't help but agree, and yet the march on Enbarr continued on in Dimitri's blind rage, now empowered by his acquisition of the Hero's Relic Areadbhar. The new target was to cross the Great Bridge of Myrddin, in Alliance territory, to get past the Oghma Mountains. A risky proposition…and so Rodrigue suggested contacting the pro-Kingdom segment of the Alliance, led by Claude of House Riegan. This was a strategy Byleth could get behind.

* * *

It was shortly after this that Byleth met with Rodrigue late at night and learned his story. It was a very important story, tied to so many of his students. Felix and Ingrid the most closely, as Glenn was the former's brother and the latter's fiancé, but the Tragedy of Duscur affected so many others, too. Ashe, Dimitri…Dedue.

…And Edelgard, too. Dimitri was too blinded by his rage to see anything but enemies before him, but Byleth believed that the offer Edelgard had made him all those years ago was genuine. To turn on her allies, whom she considered to be her true enemies every bit as much as the Church. And _those_ were Byleth's true enemies, too; the people responsible for Jeralt's death. If only there were some way to convince Dimitri that his anger was misplaced…that by targeting Edelgard, he was playing directly into the true enemy's hand.

From the soldiers around the monastery, Byleth learned that the Imperial territory just over the bridge belonged to Count Bergliez. The Minister of Military Affairs…and one of the few Imperial nobles from the old regime that Edelgard had left around. If he was anything like his son, he'd be a fearsome foe. Preparations would need to be made. And it was a different scion of Imperial nobility that provided a lead on some potential assistance. According to Linhardt, there was a holy weapon hidden in Lake Teutates that could be used even by a commoner. He didn't tell the whole story but it had something to do with Saint Indech. When they arrived, the lake was covered with fog, and a magic beast addressed them, saying they needed to pass its trial. Given that Rhea herself turned out to be the Immaculate One, it seemed likely that this "Immovable One" was Saint Indech himself, something that its reaction to Flayn seemed to confirm, and hers to it, as did Lindhart's reaction afterwards. Flayn had all but confided her true identity to Byleth not long afterwards—not directly stating that she was Saint Cethleann, but saying that they were in very similar situations regarding their blood.

* * *

Ingrid was facing an inner turmoil of her own. The trip to the Valley of Torment, so near to her own territory, had reminded her how much her family was struggling. Her father had sacrificed everything for her, and so she couldn't help but feel a duty to marry for the prestige of the family as he desired, even if it got in the way of her becoming a knight. He had allowed her to fight for her country, but she felt that by becoming a knight, she'd be shunning her duty as a noble. She didn't mention that she was worried as much for a friend as for herself; at her last tea with Mercedes, she'd learned that she was in a similar situation, except replacing "become a knight" with "work for the church".

Byleth didn't understand all that. He asked her why she couldn't do both, meaning it as an honest question to increase his own knowledge, but that was really all it took for her to realize that she _could_ do both, or try to. Not what he'd expected, but he was glad to help one of his students.

* * *

Dimitri continued to charge forward, not questioning his path. He tried to convince Byleth that he was no different, the way he'd charged after Kronya 5 years ago. But the difference was that Byleth had seen Kronya murder Jeralt with his own eyes, while Dimitri was single-mindedly locked on getting "revenge" on a fellow victim of the Tragedy of Duscur. Felix advised giving up on trying to reason with the "boar prince", and Byleth was honestly glad to hear that he figured most of the army was there either out of hatred for the Empire or loyalty to the Church, not due to loyalty to Dimitri.

Claude agreed to help distract Count Gloucester's soldiers to help them, but it didn't help, sadly. An Imperial battalion led by General Ladislava was waiting for them, and they'd barely started their assault when the Alliance Lord Acheron led troops right into their midst. They appeared so suddenly that it could only be the work of mages teleporting them in, but the way Ladislava was speaking, it almost seemed as though they'd messed up the timing and arrived too quickly. Acheron's forces were quickly wiped out, with the help of a most unexpected arrival: Dedue, thought to be dead, had somehow survived! Upon Acheron's departure, however, more Gloucester troops came in, led by none other than Count Gloucester's son, Lorenz. He seemed none too happy about it, however, and Byleth was able to convince him to defect to their side.

After the battle, for the first time since Byleth had woken from his slumber, he saw doubt in Dimitri's eyes. Learning that Dedue had been saved by his fellow men of Duscur stirred something. Byleth felt relief. Even before, it seemed as though Dedue had been Dimitri's conscience. Perhaps now he'd finally start to return to the man Byleth had once known.

* * *

CCX: Did it! Got another chapter out by the end of the month, for whatever little it's worth. Well, it was a tradition at one point that I'd put out a new fic on my birthday, so this will have to do. Though it still feels short, even if the word count says it's a decent length compared to previous chapters.


	7. The Return of the King

The Lady and the Thief  
by Cyberchao X

Chapter 7: The Return of the King

In the aftermath of the battle at the Great Bridge of Myrddin, a young woman appeared, wishing to join up with the Kingdom Army. The soldiers at first rebuffed her, but she claimed competence at magic and said that she was looking for revenge on her brother's killer. That was enough for Dimitri to allow her to join them, though Byleth couldn't help wondering, seeing the girl's reaction, if _Dimitri_ wasn't the one she was looking for revenge on.

In response, the Empire started gathering troops at Fort Merceus. Gilbert and Rodrigue figured more reinforcements would be needed, so Catherine went to ask her father, the current Count Charon, for help. Byleth also suggested allying with the Alliance. It was looking like the next battle would be at Gronder Field, the same place that the mock battles took place—and the original Battle of the Eagle and the Lion, too. Back then, Dimitri had dreamed of a day when the mock battle was renamed so that the memory of past battles could be forgotten. How had he become such a monster?

* * *

Ashe was over the moon. He'd just passed his certification to be a Bow Knight, and the professor had entrusted him with the sacred bow they'd retrieved from Lake Teutates. He'd finally achieved his goal of becoming a knight just like the ones in the stories he'd read. And yet…it felt hollow somehow. Maybe it was because the army had been amassing sacred weapons left and right—Byleth had reluctantly given the Blutgang back to its associated crest-bearer even though she wasn't really meant to be in physical combat, and he still didn't know what to do with the Spear of Assal since all of his top lancers had Holy Relics of their own to wield. But more likely it was because just accomplishing that goal for himself was no longer sufficient. He'd felt that Ingrid was pulling away from him, but it seemed that she wasn't happy about it. Had her father finally succeeded in getting her engaged to another noble?

She assured him this wasn't the case, but she'd nevertheless made her peace with the idea of fulfilling her duties as a noble. She congratulated Ashe and made him promise, again, that he'd be enough of a knight for the both of them if she couldn't balance knighthood with nobility.

Or perhaps there was something else troubling Ashe. He'd discovered a letter mentioning his brother's name in a plot to assassinate Lady Rhea. Meaning that there had been a previous plot, older than the Tragedy of Duscur. He asked Catherine about it, and learned that even though she'd been the one to turn Christophe over, she didn't believe him to be a bad man. On the contrary, she'd been friends with him in the Academy, and that his biggest flaw was that he was too trusting. He'd been told that Lady Rhea needed to die for the sake of the goddess, or the world, and he went along with it. But furthermore…it meant that Christophe was never involved in the Tragedy of Duscur at all. That was a lie the Church came up with to cover for the real reason they'd had him executed.

* * *

Bernadetta was mad. She thought the professor understood -her better than this! And yet here she was, being dragged all the way out to Brigid to help Petra meet with her grandfather to secure aid, a task made far more challenging when Hubert himself showed up to reinforce the troops that they'd just about beaten. Byleth gave Petra a sacred weapon, too, an axe that he'd found when taking back the monastery right after reawakening, though the battle didn't require her to use it even once.

Still, Bernie had to admit that the forests of Brigid were quite beautiful. Maybe the professor knew what he was doing, after all.

* * *

With the fog rolling in at the Great Bridge of Myrddin, Rodrigue dropped a bombshell on Gilbert. He'd been investigating the Tragedy of Duscur, looking for answers about how he'd lost a son and his liege, and found no evidence that the Queen's carriage had even been attacked. And while everyone else present was slaughtered, save for Dimitri who was also at death's door, the body of Lady Patricia had never been found. Suggesting…that she was taken alive. And yet, the Empire had never used her presence for political gain, and now that Edelgard, her daughter, was Emperor, she'd have no reason to hide if she was still alive. Rodrigue believed that Patricia may have been one of the co-conspirators. Or at the very least, that the Tragedy was part of a larger conspiracy. Yes, that seemed likely. However, this was interrupted by the revelation that one of the messengers they'd sent to the Alliance had been brutally slaughtered. By the Alliance, or the Empire? No matter. They would fight whoever came to fight against them.

Sure enough, the Alliance moved against them, too. Most of the army wished it didn't have to be that way. Luck was on their side, however; Byleth didn't even need to utilize Sothis's power to keep everyone alive through the Battle of Gronder. Edelgard escaped, however, and they were forced to retreat. Dimitri told the army that they could retreat if they wanted to, but he was pushing forwards, and then Byleth's suspicion about their new addition proved correct. Rodrigue jumped in front of her blade, however, saving Dimitri at the cost of his own life, but as he died, he told Dimitri that he was wrong about the way he looked at the dead. His life was his own. Rodrigue revealed that King Lambert had entrusted him with setting Dimitri right if he were to ever go down the wrong path, should Lambert himself not be there to do so. For a second, it seemed as though he'd finally see the light…but alas, it seemed that Dimitri only grew worse. Because he had been there in Duscur, and survived. Because of that, he would always feel the need to take revenge on those responsible.

Or so Byleth thought. Much to his surprise, the very next day, Dimitri announced that their new target was not Enbarr, but Fhirdiad. Byleth had gotten through to him. He revealed shortly thereafter that the girl who'd attacked him at Gronder Field wasn't the first. The children that he and Byleth had taught swordsmanship to five years ago had used that knowledge against Dimitri, as they'd been taken into the monastery after a band of thieves that had cared for them were put down by the Church.

* * *

Something to protect. That's what Gilbert had said was the key to becoming a great knight. Ashe had never really thought about what exactly he wanted to protect. Had he been idealizing the idea of knighthood all this time? He couldn't glorify the idea of death in the service of another, the way so many of the other knights did. Prince Dimitri had it right there; death is death, no matter how noble. And yet, it was a necessary risk, if he wanted to protect those who needed protecting. That's what he'd told Gilbert, but Gilbert had felt that was too vague. Perhaps he should swear fealty to Faerghus itself? His territory was on the border of the Kingdom, as was Ingrid's. Guarding the kingdom's borders seemed natural.

His current purpose was to fulfill the promise he'd made to Ingrid, to be a great knight for the both of them, since she would have to fulfill her duties as a noble. Wait a minute…that was the answer, wasn't it? Knights served nobles. If she were to take the path of the noble…then he'd be her knight.

"Dedue. I want to thank you."

"For helping with the cooking?"

"Well, that too," the professor replied, "but no. Your survival was the first step towards healing the prince's tortured soul. One less phantom tormenting him. It's ironic that the one the future ruler relies upon the most would be someone his people would despise for his very blood."

"I would argue that you have taken that role, Professor."

"Maybe I have. But my loyalty is to the Goddess, not to the Kingdom."

"This, too, is news."

"…Was my distaste for the Archbishop that obvious? It's true that I found her to be a bit overzealous. But then again, I could say the same about Prince Dimitri. …I still worry about him, though. He may have calmed down, but he's still directing his anger at the wrong person. After our recent expedition to Hrym, I'm more sure of it than ever. The real enemy is Edelgard's uncle, Lord Arundel—or at least the current holder of his identity." Dedue said nothing, silently indicating that Byleth should elaborate. "It was Dimitri who first pointed me towards this, in fact; back during the days at the Academy, five years ago. Lord Arundel disappeared from the public eye for a spell; just like Tomas did, and Monica."

"Those shapeshifting impostors."

Byleth nodded. "I'm counting on you to guide and protect Dimitri. You should take this."

"This is too much, Professor. I'm not worthy—"

"A legendary weapon from another land? I can't think of anyone more worthy."

* * *

The battle to retake Fhirdiad was a fierce one. Cornelia sent magically enhanced golems after them, but made a tactical error in guarding the western flank more fiercely than the east, where the shut-off switch lay; Ashe and Ingrid were quickly able to pierce through to shut it down, allowing the main force to cut through the middle while Byleth and Dimitri themselves carved up the western side. After her defeat, however, Cornelia told Dimitri that the Tragedy of Duscur was indeed done at Patricia's behest. Dimitri, however, merely condemned Cornelia as a traitor, stating that she was "spouting nonsense to her very last". But before the Kingdom's enemies could be taken down, it was time for Dimitri to claim the throne.

After the celebratory feast, Byleth asked Dimitri if he still wished for revenge. He claimed that he never had wished for revenge; rather, it was an obligation he had inherited from the dead. And that…he wished to accept Edelgard, but he feared that she would never be able to accept the Church of Seiros, and that war was the only way. Their conversation was interrupted, however, by word that Claude had sent an express messenger. The Empire had invaded the Alliance, and they turned to the Kingdom for aid, a request which Dimitri wished to honor. Byleth wasn't so sure, given what had happened at Gronder Field, but he conceded that that was probably as much Dimitri's fault as Claude's; he was still consumed by his bloodlust at that time. The Empire forces were being led by Lord Volkhard von Arundel himself, and Byleth was pleased to hear that Dimitri had finally come to the same conclusion that he had—that Arundel was behind it all, that he'd conspired with Cornelia, even the connection with Kronya and Solon. It was decided; the Kingdom army would march on Deirdriu.

* * *

It was not long after retaking Fhirdiad that Byleth came across an unusually pensive Shamir. She told him that he reminded her of another mercenary she'd fought alongside, one from her native Dagda, who'd died ten years ago during the conflict between Dagda and the Empire. What seemed especially strange was that she even found his inflection to be the same, even though they'd never spoken anything but Dagdan to each other. Losing someone so important to her, Byleth understood why she always seemed so aloof.

She wasn't the only one in a pensive mood. With Dimitri's sanity restored and his position as king secure, it seemed as though Gilbert's burden had finally been lifted, and as such, he'd finally been convinced to return to his family when the war ended—or at least, to invite his wife to join him at the monastery. He was concerned that it was better for his path and Annette's to diverge, however, even though it was clear that she wanted to reconcile her relationship with her father. Byleth knew better than to insert himself into that situation; father and daughter alike were quite stubborn.

* * *

Before they moved to assist the Alliance, however, Dimitri felt that it was prudent to retake Arianrhod, the Fortress City. Nicknamed "The Silver Maiden", the fortress had been built by the Empire, but had joined the Kingdom of Faerghus. With Edelgard's rise to power, however, House Rowe had turned traitor and defected back to the Empire, and retaking Fhirdiad did nothing to reduce the Empire's presence there. Byleth was pleased to win the battle with minimal lives lost on both sides; the Imperial troops withdrew when their commander, Edelgard's right-hand man, Hubert von Vestra, was defeated. Due to a lack of fliers on the Imperial side, this was able to be accomplished by sending Ingrid to attack from a cliff to the west of his position.

Dimitri was surprised at how certain Claude had been that they'd come to his aid, luring in the Imperial troops to create a vulnerability wherein the Kingdom reinforcements would pincer them. These troops also withdrew once their commander was defeated—Byleth had Ashe snipe Lord Arundel from the other side of a building—and then Claude gave them some shocking news: he'd received the approval of the other lords of the Leicester Alliance to officially disband it and hand it back over to the Kingdom from which it had sprung. He said he had something to do outside of Fódlan, so he couldn't join their army himself, but he left the Sacred Relic, Failnaught, in Byleth's possession. Not much help without a Crestbearer, though, was it? Well, he supposed that the wrong Crest was better than no Crest at all. He also revealed what they'd expected all along; that Rhea was being held in Enbarr.

Before escaping, Arundel also dropped a bombshell, though it was nothing Byleth didn't already know. Apparently, the fact that Patricia was Dimitri's stepmother, not his real mother, wasn't public knowledge, let alone the fact that she was _Edelgard's_ mother. And Dimitri revealed that he now wished to end this conflict without further bloodshed, but that he would not allow his personal feelings to cloud his judgment. To that end, they'd be marching on Fort Merceus, the Stubborn Old General, in Count Bergliez's territory. It was rumored that the Death Knight would be guarding it, which again had Mercedes concerned. From there, they'd have a clear path to Enbarr.

* * *

CCX: I still haven't figured out how to use those Crest items that are available on New Game Plus. But I got the DLC now! Cyberchao X, signing off.


	8. A True Hero

The Lady and the Thief  
by Cyberchao X

Chapter 8: A True Hero

"The undesiring strategist". That was the title that Ferdinand had said was given to Pan, an advisor to Faerghus's first king, Loog. A man whose only desire was to devote himself to Loog. Ferdinand compared Byleth to this man, but Byleth didn't see it. He had desires of his own, after all. They just didn't align with Ferdinand's way of thinking, where a lack of ambition for power meant selflessness. Though he had to concede that being a figure largely forgotten by history, like Pan, was far more appealing than being celebrated as a hero. _Not much chance of that,_ he thought bitterly, _being the vessel for Sothis's resurrection. Not to mention all that stuff about operas that Dorothea was talking about._

Fort Merceus proved to be well defended, but not nearly well enough to handle Byleth's secret weapon. Ever since he'd heard that Rhea had been found, Cyril had been fired up, and Byleth allowed the young man to go to town on the enemy. He'd never seen a Demonic Beast go down so quickly. (CCX: Killer Axe+, Defiant Crit, Critical Ring. 112% chance, and fast enough to double. He also crit one-shotted the Death Knight in the same level.)

After the battle at Fort Merceus, a prisoner was captured who confirmed that Patricia was a co-conspirator in the Tragedy of Duscur. Gilbert was surprised that Dimitri didn't kill the prisoner, who said his lord had been part of the instigation in the name of justice.

Dimitri seemed convinced that the next battle would be the last, and as such, many were already letting their thoughts wander to what might come after the war. Ingrid in particular was still working out what to do about her father's desires to marry her off to some noble. She'd had an interesting discussion with Seteth about the 10 Elites which echoed her beliefs that a person shouldn't be judged merely on having a Crest, but on how they use it. It was her choice what she'd do with her life, even as she held House Galatea's fate in her hands. Why couldn't it be a house of knights, sworn to protect the king? Much like House Vestra's position in the Empire, she supposed. And furthermore…"House Galatea" was a fairly new creation, an offshoot of House _Daphnel_ of the Leicester Alliance that had defected _back_ to the Kingdom. Now that Claude had dissolved the Alliance back into the Kingdom, the border position was no more. She had decided, then. The current lands of the County of Galatea would be returned to House Daphnel, on the condition that a new County of Galatea be established in Gaspard. She would marry for love, not for status—and yet, it seemed, status would come anyway.

* * *

On the 25th, Dimitri and Byleth met with Edelgard. She claimed that the war was actually the route to minimizing casualties, strange as it sounded, for the world as it was would claim far more victims. That she was fighting to destroy the system where the strong prey on the weak. Dimitri pointed out that the weak would still be weak, as they'd grown too used to the way things were. They need faith, and their reasons for living. Her path is the path of the strong. Edelgard replied that the Goddess doesn't answer those who pray to her; that countless souls would be lost living without purpose—and that she herself was among those souls. Dimitri asked her if she intended to become a goddess herself to wield the power required to lead such a world. He claimed that it is the people who have the power to change the world, not the rulers. Edelgard countered that a highborn such as himself can't claim to know what the poor masses feel. It seemed that they couldn't come to an agreement. But before they parted, Dimitri gave her back the dagger that he'd given her all those years ago.

Five days later, the Kingdom Army marched on Enbarr. The battle in the city was fierce, but it paled in comparison to what awaited them once they'd breached the walls of the Imperial Palace. Edelgard had proven willing to sacrifice her humanity in pursuit of her goal, becoming a demon. Furthermore, it appeared that she was in fact maintaining her alliance with the group responsible for Jeralt's death; Ingrid was the first to notice that there were mages among their foes who were not wearing the Imperial uniform, and Byleth recognized them as the same dark group. (CCX: I'm avoiding referring to them by name because as far as I can tell, outside of actually reading their status screens—which is metagame knowledge for the purposes of this fanfic—the name "Those Who Slither in the Dark" has not come up in Azure Moon _at all._ On that note, having already completed Crimson Flower and Verdant Wind, I'd only been making a cursory effort to avoid spoilers…and yet, Hegemon Edelgard completely took me by surprise! I'm happy that they didn't make it easy to stumble upon; good job, Internet.) Mercifully, their loyalties remained elsewhere, and so the mages retreated once their leader was killed. Byleth hadn't even been counting on that when he prioritized getting rid of the man; he just recognized him as a dangerous threat that had to be dealt with immediately and sent Ingrid towards his position. That was generally his answer to long-range threats, as she was able to fly over most obstacles and was notoriously tough for enemies to hit. The battle taxed Byleth's powers to the limit; many times, he was certain that either Dimitri's life or his own were forfeit, but somehow he managed to break through and throw all the divine weapons at his command in Edelgard's direction. Even then, even with his best healer ready to brace everyone for the massive attack that he knew was coming, he wasn't sure if it would be enough.

It was enough. By the goddess, it was enough. Even after all these battles, he'd underestimated just how good a shot Ashe was. The boy who'd grown up idolizing the legendary heroes was going to become one; of that there was no doubt. The commoner, orphaned at a young age, driven to thievery just to survive, taken in by a kind noble and rose to become a knight whose skill with a bow knew no equal. Byleth had spoken enough with Dorothea to understand how those stories worked, and that was as perfect as it came.

* * *

CCX: No, I wasn't actually anywhere near running out of Divine Pulses when I finished Edelgard off, and the situation was "land all four shots or get a crit and one other" off the Inexhaustible…but it was my _second_ try. Three routes and that was the first time I got a straight-up Game Over.

* * *

Dimitri had, unsurprisingly, offered the defeated Edelgard mercy, but she'd have none of it. She drew the dagger that he'd given her; Byleth felt it was more likely she was about to take her own life than to make any attempt on Dimitri's, but it nevertheless got what she wanted, to die upon Dimitri's spear. With her demise, the Empire fell, and the whole of Fódlan was united under the banner of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. Seeing Byleth grow into his powers, Rhea stepped down as Archbishop of the Church of Seiros and left the job to him.

Gilbert gave up his plan to remain at the monastery, instead returning to the service of the King, in Fhirdiad, just as he had all those years ago. After all, he'd been quite certain that he'd wanted his path to lead him away from his daughter, and she was staying at Garreg Mach. With Byleth. No one had been terribly surprised by the revelation that they were an item, and their wedding was attended by followers of the Church from all across Fódlan. The Western Church, contrarians that they were, objected to the new archbishop's lack of celibacy, but Seteth put them in their place.

Annette was hardly alone among Byleth's former students in remaining at the monastery. Though she'd lost out on the affections of her first love, Bernadetta was able to move on, and she ended up marrying Linhardt. The two abdicated their noble titles and became professors at the Academy.

Shamir disappeared from the Knights of Seiros after the war, followed by her apprentice, Cyril. They were said to have taken to dispensing justice to those who preyed on the weak.

In the end, Edelgard had had nothing to worry about. Her dream of a world where people were judged on their own merits, rather than their noble titles, came to fruition, largely as a result of the many high-profile nobles who eschewed the expectation that they'd marry fellow nobles and instead married commoners. The first among these was, of course, Ingrid, though seeing as how Ashe had risen to nobility himself despite his common birth, this was hardly seen as a major issue. The fact that both of them pledged their service as knights rather than remaining to govern their territories, on the other hand, was seen as a big shock, especially since House Rowe had been stripped of their title due to their treachery and as such, their lands had become Gaspard territory. No, the first major shock was that the new Queen herself was not a noble—even though she bore a Crest. It was Mercedes's calming influence that helped Dimitri to rebuild the country in the wake of war, and to accept the horrors that it had brought. And then, to the east, the new Count Gloucester took as his wife not a noble, but a mercenary.

* * *

Many years passed, and the heroes of the War of Unification, as it became known, grew old and died—but not the Archbishop. Much like his compatriots, known in ancient scriptures as Cichol and Cethleann and in the records of the war as Seteth and Flayn, he ended up needing to disappear from the public eye for a long time. While he was rarely lonely, as his own descendants knew the truth about him and visited frequently, he passed the time by writing. Much as he'd predicted, the story of Ashe and Ingrid proved to be the most popular—even more so than the ones he'd written about Dimitri. Perhaps it was because Dimitri's story had very little romance in it, instead focusing largely on his grief after the Tragedy of Duscur and his dedication to clearing the falsely impugned people of that land. Dedue was a popular figure in his own right, after all.

"Is that a new copy of 'The Lady and the Thief'?" the librarian asked.

The man now going by 'Seth' nodded. It seemed like an appropriate name, reminding him not only of his two equally long-lived friends, but also of Lady Sothis herself. "Have to keep making new ones. It's just that popular, right?"

* * *

CCX: Well there we go. I'd originally planned to do more post-war, but I kind of wrapped up the major conflict of it before the final battle commenced. Also, was I ever relieved when Dedue popped up with a solo ending in the epilogue; I downloaded the DLC late in the run (there were secretly some characters in DLC classes by the end) and when last I'd checked, Dimitri was still linked to Dedue, but I guess I managed to push Mercedes past him right at the end. I guess I'm happy with how this turned out?

This is Cyberchao X, signing off.


End file.
